Plaster-bandage-rolling machine



Jan. 16,1923. 1,442,129.

w. H. CUNNINGHAM. PLASTER BANDAGE ROLLING MACHINE.

FILED JULY 15, 1920.

Patented Jan. 16, 1923.

WILLIAM H. CUNNINGHAM, 0F ROCKFORD, ILLINOIS.

PLASTER-BANDAGE-ROLLING MACHINE.

Application filed July 15,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, l/VILLMM H. CUN- NINGHAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rockforchin the county of Winnebago and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefullmprovements in Plaster-Bandage-Rolling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention pertains to devices for rolling plaster of Paris bandages, such as are used principally for topical application in surgery.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide novel means by which bandages of this kind may be quicklyand easily prepared at comparatively low cost. That is, my invention contemplates a selfcontained device which may be conveniently carried and used at will for preparing in a very economical manner, plaster bandages of any desired width and having a coating of plaster of predetermined depth and uni-= formity throughout the length of the bandages.

In furtherance of these general objects I have provided aplaster container and devices therein for guiding a fabric strip or ribbon from a delivery. roll to a winding drum and including means for properly tensioning the strip between said rolls and for depositing on such' strip a layer'of plaster of predetermined depth. In this regard, I have provided an exceptionally simple and practical means for gaging and determining the deposit of plaster on the strip so that thebandage will be of uniform ch'aracter' throughout its length.

Other objects are to provide an improvedspool upon which the bandage is wound, an improved structure for guiding the band age from a supply roll to the finished roll, and an improved container or housing form ing a hopper for the plaster of Paris, and also a supporting means for the several cooperating instrumentalities employed for making the plaster bandage. I

Other objects and attendant advantages will be appreciated as the invention becomes better understood by reference to the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, in

which a Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section,

of a plaster bandage rolling machine em-' bodying myinventlon;

- Fig,v 2, a sectional view .through th e ma- 1920. Serial No. 396,455.

chine taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; a p

F 1g. 3, a modifiedform of the plastergaging means;

the finished roll; and

Fig. 5, a perspective" view of one of the gage plates. 7

My improvements are arranged preferably, in a portable container or hopper of vided with a hinged covert). The cover-may be equlpped with a h'andlaandany suitable latc-h or look may be provided for holding Flg. 4, a perspective view of the spool for I such size that it may be conveniently carried-" the cover closed. The box is divided by a wall 11 intotwo main compartments'l2and 13, the former ofwhichconstitutes a primaryor service hopper and th latter p ply hopper. The primary hopper is divided into supply roll, plaster feed and'finished roll compartments 14, 15 and '16, respectively. The supply roll compartment atone end of the primary hopper is defined in the present instance'by a semi-circular bottom 17 provided throughout 'its length with spaced slots 18 or the equivalent, for the reception of end spacer members 19' which holdthe supply roll of bandagefabric 21 in position against endwise displacement. The

finished roll compartment16' at the opposite end of the primary hopper compartment is defined principally by a gage plate 22. This plate has a narrow'elongated horizontal slot" 23 through which the bandage passes to be wound onto a spool designated generally by character 24. This spool in-its preferedembodiment consists of a pair of separable members 25 angular-in cross section to fit a square spindle 26, and joined at one end by a disk 27. The portions 25 of the spool are normally separated so that when a bandage stripis wound'thereon, they will be compressed and exert an outward pressure on the finished roll,'-'per'mittin'g the latter to be carried and handled by means of the spool. The spool in tur'nis slidable lengthwise upon and removable from the spindle 26, which latter is inserted through appropriate bearing holes in the partition wall 11 and front wall 28 of the box. By means 'of a crank handle 29 at one end'of the spindle,

the spool may be revolved'by theoperator v wind the bandage" 9 .20"tlursp'ool.

ing This result, however,

Means is provided intermediate the supply roll and gage plate for properly guiding and tensioning the bandage strip. This consists in the present instance of a plurality of tension rods 31, 32 and 33, grouped above the supply or delivery roll 21, and a guide rod "34 positioned in the feed compartment approximately in the plane of the spindle 26. A suitable tension will be imposed on :the bandage strip by the rods 31, 32 and 33 and the strip will be "guided under the rod 34 so as to pass through the opening 23 along the lower edge thereof.

In operation, the feed compartment 15 is filled with plaster with a substantial quantity on top of the bandage strip, so that when the crank 29 is turned in a clockwise direction, the strip will be drawn through the -.opening-23, over the low-er edge there of, and 'will carryon its top surface aquantity of the powdered plaster determined by the depth of the slot 23. In other words,

the slot 23 constitutes a depth "gage for pos-' itively determining the amount of plaster which will @be delivered onto the strip when wound onto the finished roll, and serves as .a means for insuring that the plaster shall .be spread evenly throughout the width of the strip. During this operation the body of plaster above that portion of the strip between the slide 22 and guide rod 34 will feed by ggravityonto the strip, or in other words, a gravity hopper feed is provided, anc l the supply of plaster must be replenished by the operator whenever exhausted.

Thus, .in order to make a plaster bandage, it'is only necessary to turn the crank tor winding the bandage onto the finished spool and see that the primary hopper is filled sufficiently to feed throughout the Width ofthe strip before it enters the gage.

It will be particularly noted that the resultant bandage will be of uniform char act-er in that iplaster *will be laid evenly on the bandage to a predetermined depth, determined positively and accurately and unafiected by atmospheric conditions.

From the foregoing illustration of my invention, it will be observed that the axis of the spool 24, the opening and theguide rod 34 are approximately in a common plane, so as to insure guiding of the bandage stri'p 'over the lower -edge of the openmay be obtained in other ways, and to this end my invention contemplates the provision of :rel- Tati've movement between at least one of these three elements with respect to the others, such for example as -by moving the plate 22 vertically to lower the opening 23 in proportion to the diameter of the finished roll. v This movement of the plate 22 may "be 'efieeted by manually shitting the plate downwardly as thediameter of the finished roll increases, and for this purpose I have provided. suitable means acting on the plate for imposing a tension thereon and for holding it in any set position. For example, referring to Fig. 3, it willv be observed that one of the guides is serrated and. the plate 22 is formed to provide'a. detent .35 adapted to engage such serrations and hold the plate in any position to which it is moved. Thus, when commencing to make a bandage the plate 22 might occupy a position with its opening 23 located at 36 and as the diameterof the roll increases the :plate would be moved downwardly succesdotted lines in Fig. 5.

The spindle '26 is also adapted to be used for winding the bandage :tape into a delivery roll'such as 21; and to'this end thespindle may be removed from the spool and inserted in openings 39 in the walls 11 and 28 atthe compartment 14L, as will be obvious.

It is believed that the foregolng conveys a clear understanding of the objects prefaced above, and it should be understood that in putting these objects into effect varlous changes might be made in the design and construction without departing from the spirit-and scope oft'he invention as expressed in the appended claims,'in which- I claim:

1. A plaster bandage machine of the character described, comprising a box having at opposite ends a supply roll compartment and a finished roll compartment and an intermediate plaster feed compartment, means for guiding the bandage strip from the supply roll compartment to the finished roll compartment through the feed compartment, and laterally adjustable-end :spacer members in the supply rol-l compartment for prevents ingendwise displacement of'the supply roll.

2. In abandage machine of the character described, the combination ofa supply roll, a finished roll,-a gravity feed hopper intermediate said rolls and adapted for delivering a surplus quantity of plaster on :a bandage strip moving between the rolls, and interchangeable plates each having a relatively narrow ga'ge opening of different width from the other ancl'through which said bandage strip passes for determining the depth of plaster on the bandage.

3. In a bandage machine of the character described. the combination of a supply roll,

a finished roll, a gravity feed hopper 1ntermediate said rolls and adapted for delivering surplus quantity of plaster on a bandage strip moving between the rolls, a plate having a relatively narrow gage open ing through which said bandage strip passes and for determining the depth of plaster on the bandage, and means permitting relative vertical adjustment between said opening and the axis of the finished roll.

a. In a; machine for making plaster bandages, the combination of a delivery roll and a finished roll, a gravity feed hopper intermediate said rolls for delivering a surplus amount of plaster onto the bandage strip, and a gage plate removably mounted in the path of said strip adjacent to the finished roll and having a gage opening for positively determining the depth of the plaster on the strip passing through such opening, whereby said plate may be removed and substituted by a new plate with a gage opening of different depth.

mon plane, as and for the purpose described, v

and means for vertically adjusting the gage opening.

6. In a bandage making machine, the combination vof a plaster compartment, a finished roll spool, and interchangeable gage slot plates having gage slots of difierent width and through any one of which, when in operative position between the said compartment and said spool, the bandage will pass,

whereby to positively regulate the thickness of plaster on the bandage.

NVILLIAM H. CUNNINGHAM. 

